Mask is a covering worn over the face, often as a disguise. Some masks are meant to hide the wearer’s identity. Other facial coverings, such as a gas mask or a welder’s mask, are worn for protection. Masks, however, often do much more than conceal identity or protect the wearer from physical hazards. In many societies, people wear masks as part of celebrations, religious rituals, and theatrical performances.
A mask often serves as part of a larger costume. But the mask is often the most important part of the costume because people consider the face to be the most significant mark of identity. Human beings have a complex set of facial muscles with which they express themselves. The human brain has specialized areas that recognize and remember faces, control facial expression, and interpret others’ expressions. Masks are a device by which people can send altered facial signals to each other. The alterations can be intended for fun and amusement, for dramatic emphasis, or to surprise and bewilder.
Masks can have powerful psychological effects on the people who wear them as well as on those who see them. Masks seem to convey a sense of power to their wearers. Many societies use masks in rituals to cure illness or to make hunting expeditions successful. In rituals, a person who wears a mask of a god or spirit often feels possessed by the supernatural being. Masked performers may experience a sense of having stepped out of their own character. As a result, many cultures treat masks as magical objects.
Other societies consider masks prized property. Many Native American and First Nations people of the Northwest Coast kept masks as heirlooms and gave others as valued gifts. First Nations is a designation given the indigenous (native) peoples of Canada.
People have used masks since prehistoric times. A 14,000-year-old painting in the cave Les Trois Frères in southern France shows a human figure wearing a mask in the form of a deer with antlers. Other prehistoric cave paintings depict figures with human bodies and animal heads. Scholars are not certain that all these images represent masked figures. However, the cave paintings clearly show that adding an imaginary face to transform human identity is an ancient custom.
Today, many people view masks as objects of art, Masks appear on display in museums or for sale in shops. In the original use of the masks, however, people would have seen them in motion, as part of a performance.
Festive masks.
Many people wear masks during celebrations and festivals. The masks often signal periods when certain rules of normal social behavior can be broken, such as Mardi Gras, a period of merrymaking just before Lent. In the United States, Canada, and several European countries, masks are an important feature of costumes worn on Halloween.
Ceremonial masks.
Masks are used in ceremonies for many purposes. Ceremonial masks often represent images of spirits, gods, or animals—sometimes in combination. The people who use them often believe that a mask, if properly used, can establish connections to the world of spirits, gods, or ancestors. For example, among the Inuit and some Siberian peoples, holy men and women called shamans used masks in healing rituals. The shamans were believed to have special powers to communicate with gods or spirits. Among the Native American Hopi people, male dancers wear masks that represent mysterious spirits called Kachinas. Kachinas produce rain and make corn grow. They sometimes whip boys and girls who are about to be initiated into adulthood.
Male members of the False Face Society of the Native American Iroquois people wore wooden masks at ceremonies to heal the sick. The False Face performers visited villages escorted by male clowns called Shuck Faces. The Shuck Faces wore masks made of braided corn husks. Adults welcomed the masked visitors. But children were often frightened by them.
Among the indigenous people of the Northwest coast of North America, chiefs owned most masks and used them in large winter ceremonies. In many societies of West Africa, people wear masks in ceremonies to initiate boys and girls into adulthood.
Many cultures keep masks secret and display them only in rituals. In New Guinea, for example, many societies supported secret cults that kept a hidden supply of frightening masks. In some societies, masks are thought to have supernatural origins. The makers are pledged to secrecy. For example, the Gola men of Liberia carve masks that women wear in ritual performances. But the men publicly deny any connection to their handiwork.
Theatrical masks.
Masks are often used in theater to exaggerate emotions. They also diminish the individuality of the performer. Modern drama in the United States and Europe seldom uses masks. But masks formed a major component of classical drama in ancient Greece. Large masks in ancient Greek theater were used to express anger, joy, love, and other emotions. The masks aided the audience, who often sat too far from the actors to see their facial expressions. The masks also served to amplify the actors’ voices to the crowd. Today, the masks used in classical Greek comedy and tragedy have become symbols of theater.
Chinese drama has traditionally used masks of different colors to represent character types. For example, a red mask represents a loyal person. A white mask represents a cruel one. A type of dramatic entertainment called a masque reached its peak in the early 1600’s. The masque developed from the use of masks as disguises in musical pageants (see Masque ). A type of Japanese play called noh uses many masks, each representing a different emotion.
Burial masks and death masks.
Masks are often associated with death. The ancient Egyptians often placed personalized masks over the face of mummies. The mask served to identify the dead person so that the wandering soul could find its body. Among the people of New Ireland, an island near New Guinea, dancers wear masks that represent dead persons. The spirits of the dead are thought to return during an annual mourning ceremony. In Nepal, masks are hung up to scare away the souls of the recently dead so that they will not haunt the living.
In Western countries, death masks were used for centuries to preserve the features of the dead. A wax or plaster cast was made of the face. Likenesses were then made from that mold. Famous death masks include those of the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven and the French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte. Since the early 1900’s, however, photography has mostly replaced the making of death masks.
